The Horn
by SusanneO
Summary: Faramir is back home and spends a little time with his son.


I do not own these characters, I'm only borrowing.

Sorry for grammar errors and other faults.

Please do tell me your thoughts about the story..

HORN

The Prince of Ithilien sat in his office at his large oakdesk. He had come home yesterday from Minas Tirith, where he had spent the last two weeks. After a work-filled episode, he relaxed with the book and enjoyed the peace.

The room was full of silence and it was easy to hear how suddenly the office door was attempted to open as quietly as possible. He did not lift his eyes from the book, because the way in which the door was opened told the man that his son was about to enter. The man continued to read and waited for his son to ask for something. But next, he heard the sound of licking. Then he looked up at the door and saw the big white cat sitting and licking his paw.

The cat seemed to notice staring, stopped the washing and after a few steps jumped to the windowsill behind Faramir's desk. "I'm wondering why the stablecat is back inside?" He asked looking at the door. Now a five year old dark-haired boy appeared with a grin"Because it wanted to come in, and no one blocked it from coming."

Faramir gestured his son to come closer and said that he knew that his mother did not like the cat inside. "I know, but fortunately, mother is not at home now," the boy said and moved to pet the cat on the windowsill. "Fortunately," replied the Prince, who had no heart to evict the cat which seemed to enjoy the extra attention.

The cat watched out of the window at the same time as the boy asked his father why his mother hated cats. "She does not hate cats, but she does not like what cats can carry. Cats eat rodents and other small creatures and can get worms." Elboron laughed and asked if she was afraid of worms then. The Prince thought for a moment about his wife's past and said that his mother was not afraid of them but they sicken her so much.

The cat settled down on the board, looking out and Elboron moved to the other side of the desk. There were voices in the corridor and someone clearly tried to look for the Prince's son. "Elboron, Elboron!" Faramir rose from his chair and stood to stand so that the in comer would not see the cat, as Eowyn had told everyone to deliver the cat out if it was found there. "Everything is fine, he is here." A few quick steps brought Elboron's nurse to the door. "Oh, sorry, sir, I just talked to the blacksmith for a few moments, and the boy was already lost. Elboron, come, get away from disturbing your father so he can work." "I did not do anything important, I would love to spend time with my son. You can go to do something else, I will bring him to you when he gets tired of me." Elboron smiled broadly when he thought he could stay in his father's office. The nurse bobbed a curtsy and left the door unlit. Faramir turned to the cat, pettet it a few times and moved toward the bench where his son was already sitting.

"Father, she is lying," Elboron says almost whispering. The Prince raises his brows and asks what the boy meant. Elboron tells how they have been visiting the stables on many days, and always his nurse will be chatting for a long time with the blacksmith . "She focuses only on the man and not at me." The Prince asked if that was the reason why the boy did leave the stables. "Yes, and the cat followed me all by himself." Faramir thought that he should talk to Eowyn about the nurse in the evening, he did not like that their son was allowed to go out alone.

Elboron looked around and watched his father's study. He was allowed to go there, but he could not touch any object without permission. He stared at objects hanging above the fireplace and encouraged to ask what they were. The Prince looked in the direction where the boy pointed and found them to be the halfs of Gondor's Great Horn. The boy asked what had broken it and had to wait for his father's answer for a moment. "The war. The war of the ring broke it." "Why is it not repaired?" The boy asked and received an answer that it could not be mended and there was no need.

The Horn was the only historical object of Gondor that Faramir had asked if he could bring it to Emyn Arnen with him and the King had agreed to it.

Elboron asked to look closer and he was thrilled when his dad rose to pick up the halfs. The Prince held them in his hands for a moment, and cold shivers went through him. "We can look at them together, I have not held them for a long time." Faramir began to tell the story of the Great Horn, how it had become part of heirlooms of Gondor's Stewards . He listed names and years, although he knew that the boy was too young to be interested, but he hoped to leave memories of his predecessor to Elboron. The last mentioned Boromir got Elboron to look at his father "Boromir the Brave was the last one?" Faramir nodded.

"This must have made a loud voice " the boy shadow of a shudder came to the Prince when he remembered when he heard his brother using the horn. Elboron said quietly that it would have been great to use it while touching the patterns on the horn.

His father hoped that his son would never fall in a situation where he would have to call for help, or ever use a warhorn, but did not say this out loud. He hoped that peace would last forever, but knowing the past, he knew that the new wars would come when time had passed enough.

The cat who had so far slept peacefully on the windowsill suddenly rose and looked out of the window into the distance . At the same time, he got his feet down and ran out of the room. Father and son noticed this and Elboron handed his half to his father and moved to the window. "Mother is coming home!" The Prince told his son to hurry after the cat and let it out before the lady of Emyn Arnen became furious with the poor animal.

Elboro ran after the cat and Faramir put the halfs of the Horn back in place. He returned to his desk, but could not concentrate on reading. Telling about the Horn made him think about the past and what all his son would want to know in the future.

Should everything be told or leave the worst things hidden. On the other hand, the boy might hear things elsewhere if he did not tell them. Prince himself had accepted his father's behavior, but he did not know how his own child would have to deal with his grandfather's deeds.

It would take more years before these things needed to be discussed, but it has to be done. He wanted his son to respect his grandfather's and his family's history in a relevant way. The mother of the son should tell in her own way the story of her family, and if she trespasses her own role, the Prince would tell the right side of things.

Later in the evening when the couple of Emyn Arnen were retiring to their own bedchamber Faramir mentioned Elboron's nurse and asked if Eowyn should look for a new nurse. Eowyn wondered this and her husband explained what he had heard to her and how the boy had managed to walk alone in their premises.

Eowyn snorted and asked if the Prince himself, as a little boy, never escaped from the eyes of the nurses. Faramir quietly said that it might have happened. "It would also be embarrassing to release her from her duties only because she followed my counsel." Eowyn told how she had noticed the behavior of the nurse when they were in one of the stables and had come to the conclusion of her being interested in the blacksmith.

She had instructed the caretaker to go to the stable with Elboron so that she would have a chance to get to know the man. Faramir was a little surprised by his wife's actions, but didn't say anything.

"You did not think that a 19-year-old maid would tell the Prince of Ithilien that Elboron was allowed to slip away because she focused on being as attractive as possible in the eyes of the young man? Dear, I will talk to her again and make it clear that she cannot leave our son without attention." At the same time as Eowyn finished her sentence, she grabbed her husband's hand and pulled him towards direction to their bed. "Now we could concentrate on something other than the lovelifes of servants."

This got a smile rise to Faramir's lips and he followed his wife to the bed. "Oh, Love, promises one thing. If ever I have to be a night away from home, make sure that Elboron doesn't sleep with the cat. Needless to deny that the cat hasn't been inside today, I noticed catfur on your windowsill, when I fetched a book." Eowyn took a severe look on her face." I am sure, that the day before yesterday I saw something white hanging out of that felines rear. " Faramir laughed and promised that the cat could not reach the boy's room even though he knew that one morning there might be some cat hair on the boys small bed.


End file.
